Crystal Calling
by Ethril
Summary: On her way home from the academy she'd spent 7 years of her life at, Angie's ship is attacked by space pirates. The captain puts her into the escape pod to keep her safe. The ship's crystal drive explodes. The closest planet is Ballybran. She must land. Will she escape possible infection by the symbiot or will she become a crystal singer?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not now nor have I ever owned the Crystal singer trilogy. It belongs to the honorable and great Dragon Lady herself.

Crystal Calling

Chapter 1

By Ethril Dragon

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," Angie read slowly, her fingers caressing the aged and fragile pages of the book in her lap. She smiled slightly as she let herself flow into the story, the images and details creating a vid right in her mind. Who needed technology when you had your mind and a good book?

Angelique, mostly known as Angie, was the kind of person to enjoy what was considered antique. Back on her home world she had restored her great great grandmother's bicycle; she had music from the twenty first century playing on her music player; she was even wearing an old chainmail pouch on her belt. Supposedly one of her deceased relatives had made it fifty years ago or so.

To call her strange was an understatement. In an age where ships flew throughout the known galaxies, powered by crystals, where ships had the minds of humans, young Angie McRune was strange. She turned the page of her book again, her mind enveloped in the words of the centuries old novel.

The door to her quarters rang and Angie looked up in surprise. "Who is it?" She asked brightly, confused and surprised by the interruption to her daily routine.

"Ship mate Talon here," The male voice said from the other side of the door. "You've been requested for dinner in the galley." The voice seemed a little hesitant and strained. Angie's smile faltered. For the majority of the journey from the Dmitry System back to Earth she'd secluded herself in her tiny cabin.

"I'll be there." With a sigh she gently placed the lace ribbon inside the book to mark her page, and then closed it. She didn't need to mark her spot, she'd read this book several times. She could find her spot in a heartbeat if she so wanted. But that wasn't the point now was it? Angie gently set the book down back in her suitcase and then looked in the mirror over the tiny sink. Calm amber eyes stared back at her. She reached up a hand and carefully pushed back a strand of brunette hair behind an ear and then made sure her high pony tail was still tightly in place. Angie contemplated cutting her hair again for the hundredth time; she'd let it grow out during the last few years at the academy.

Angie left her quarters then, her hands laced behind her back as she let the crew member lead her through the inner corridors of the ship. Her father, the distant man that he was, had paid for her trip back from the academy. He'd chartered this top of the line; well-equipped and well protected ship to bring her home. Angie's thoughts drifted as she thought about the years at the academy.

Angie was not only strange, but she was very much the black sheep of her family. She'd been born into a well to do and with important family contacts and _friends_ everywhere. The majority of her family went into the family business, while she had looked elsewhere for her career. Music had always attracted her, even at a young age. When it had become obvious she wasn't interested in what her family did, her father had paid a large sum of money to send her to the best Fine Arts Academy. She had brothers to do what her father wanted, so it wasn't a huge loss that she focused her attention elsewhere.

For 7 long years Angie spent her time learning the fundamentals of music. She studied and fought to make her way to the top of her class. Now she was just a few steps away from the Stellars. She'd won awards, met the best of the best, and had learned how to play dozens of instruments. Her voice was finely trained and her ear just as perfect.

Her father had bragged that his daughter would become the next greatest Stellar in the Universe, but he never really cared about her passion for music. Nor did he care about what she really wanted to do.

Angie snapped out of her thoughts as they arrived at the galley were the best meal the ship could make was presented to her. She smiled winningly, as she had been taught during her performance classes. It wasn't just music that she had learned while at the academy, it was how to act and react to her audience. The captain stood and welcomed her to dinner, he pulled out her seat for her, she sat, and they ate. She joined in with the conversation when needed, but she wasn't really paying attention. She was more interested in her book back in her room then in the food.

Half way through the entrée, the first mate came hurriedly up to the captain. He whispered something in his ear and Angie was able to recognize distress in the man's voice although she did not hear the words. Angie covertly observed as the captains expression minutely changed from relaxed to stress.

"If you will excuse me Miss McRune." The captain said with a crisp bow. Angie nodded and the captain hurriedly strode off.

'Now that he's gone…' Angie wanted to get away from the rest of the crew that had been invited to the captain's table for the meal. Most of them were men and to be perfectly honestly she found them all to be rather boring.

With a tiny movement, she allowed her hand to be nudged by the man next to her. Angie relaxed her grip and the glass went spiraling into her lap. The man next to her jumped and began apologizing profusely. No big loss really, she told him, she didn't even really like this skirt. With as little fanfare as she could create, she excused herself to return to her quarters.

In record time she was back in her room and changed into her pajamas. A simple pair of loose shorts and a thin tank top and she was comfortably curled up in her tiny bed. Angie sighed and contemplated taking her book out again to continue reading. To be honest she was bored out of her mind. She'd lived by a busy routine back at the academy for years, so now that she was away from that schedule she wasn't sure what to do with herself. Her father would probably set her up for an audition or two among the Stellars; not that she needed it. Angie had plans of her own.

With one last sigh she turned over and closed her eyes, forcing herself into the meditative sleep. When all your room mates and class mates were musicians, you had to know how to tune everything out to get some sleep.

_There was a humming in the air as Angie ran through the flower filled glade. The dream was rather cliché and Angie couldn't help but chuckle. She'd been aware of her dreams for years, having learned how to control and manipulate them to her liking. That humming though was becoming louder and more distracting. Even when she focused to make it go away so she could return to her blissful dream it only became more insistent. _

_She stopped and looked around, trying to find the source of the humming. It wasn't that it was an annoying sound; on the contrary it was a rather soothing and pleasing sound. It just didn't fit in with the kind of dream she wanted to have at the moment. She went this way and that, trying to locate the humming. The more she focused on it, the more the dream took control over itself. _

_Angie soon found herself lost in a forest, glass like rocks scattered along the ground. She reached down and picked one up, turning it between her fingers. She sighed and tossed it over her shoulder. It made a twinkling sound as it landed and the humming picked up on that sound. The humming began to create a new melody, instead of the calming drone that it had been. _

_Intrigued by this new development she picked up more of the glass stones and gently dropped them on the ground, creating a tempo and rhythm. She was pleasantly surprised when the humming sang back to her. _

_Angie laughed and again the humming caught the sound, creating a new level to its music. Hesitantly and then with confidence, she sang out. There were no words in her voice, just a clear and rich voice. The humming seemed excited and joined her. _

_Angie spun around and was about to start a dance when – _

There was a loud crash at her door. Angie sat bolt upright to find that the first mate had opened her door without permission.

"Miss McRune come with me." He insisted as he took the few strides needed to be next to her. He grabbed her arm and hoisted her out of her bed.

"What is the meaning of this?" She asked in surprise and slight anger. She was more shocked then angry.

"Pirates. We have to get you to an escape pod." The first mate began dragging her out of her cabin.

"Wait, WAIT!" She yelled as she wrenched herself from his grip and hurried to her bed. She a long case from under the bed and then went back to the first mate. "I'm not leaving this behind."

The first mate nodded and then grabbed her arm again, dragging her as he ran for the closest escape pod.

What she had grabbed, was her viola. It was one of the 2 Stradivarius viola's left in existence and she was not going to lose it. It had also been one of the only gifts her father had actually thought long and hard about giving her. It meant more to her than anything else because her father had chosen it himself rather then allowed his secretary or the servants to get it.

"In here." The first mate said as he carefully helped her into the single seat. He strapped her in and then handed her the case she set down. "You'll be safest in here. The shielding in the pod is the strongest in the entire ship. Once the pirates are gone I'll come get you."

"What if they don't leave?" Angie asked but it was too late. The first mate was gone and the door had sealed itself.

There was no window on the escape pod door, so she was unable to see what was happening. She felt the ship rock and she bit back a scream. She heard the sound of metal tearing and then there were loud and angry voices. She whimpered softly and clutched the viola against her chest. This was supposed to be one of the best ships ever made, with the best shields and weapons. How had the pirates boarded already?

There was an explosion within the ship and another. She heard what sounded like gun shots and there were screams. Angie closed her eyes and tried to ignore the sounds, she tried to ignore the pictures her mind was making of the crew dying and the captain trying to fight off the pirates.

She opened her eyes slowly when there was finally silence. She checked her wrist for the time, but otherwise did not move. Angie's breathing was shallow as she tried to keep herself calm. She thought she heard voices at one point, but they faded as soon as she heard them.

Angie was about to release her restraints when she felt a deep thrumming through the metal of the floor. She swallowed hard and soon she had to cover her ears as the sound became more than a vibration.

She knew that sound. One time at the academy, the crystal panel of the Organ had gone sour and when the technician had gone to do repairs the whole panel had exploded. This sounded a lot like then.

Angie knew what would happen if the ship exploded while out in space, no one would find them. She'd never get the chance to start her charity music school or be able to see her family one last time. Her father was distant and cold, but Angie knew he loved her.

"Launch Procedures initiated." A computerized voice said within the pod she was in.

"What…" Angie held the viola case tighter.

"Miss…Rune…" a pained voice came over the intercom.

"Captain?" Angie called out in disbelief.

"Pirates sabotaged…crystal…Ballybran closest." His words were forced and Angie knew he was dying. With his last breath he was going to save her; all because of her family status.

There was a clicking sound and she felt the pod release from the ship. The console around her lit up and she saw the autopilot take control. At the last second the captain said one last thing.

"Don't leave…pod." And with that the radio was quiet.

If there was one thing Angie had learned over the years, it was that there was a procedure for everything. An escape pod had several. The main one was to go to the closest inhabited planet and land. If a planet was not within range, then the pod was to send out an S.O.S signal and to either stay where it was or chart a course for the closest area that typically had traffic.

If what the captain had said was true, then the pod would head for Ballybran. Angie didn't see or hear the explosion, but she felt it. The pod itself had crystals, so she was able to feel the sonic wave through the pod's crystal panel. She felt a sob catch in her throat and she wept for the crew. She hadn't liked them, but they had been nothing but kind to her.

"Time to destination: 47 Earth hours." The pod told her as it wizzed through space. It was small enough and fast enough that any pirates that detected it wouldn't think much about it.

"Two days…" Angie mumbled to herself. She didn't even have her books to read. And she thought being on that ship had been boring.

She brought up the survival supplies on the pods console screen and was relieved to see that there was 5 days' worth of rations. Before she forgot, Angie silently thought a prayer for the crew and captain. They hadn't deserved to die.

For a girl that had led a busy and active life for almost a decade, the two days inside the escape pod nearly drove Angie crazy. Her entire body felt cramped and the ration bars had been disgusting. She was extremely relieved when the pod informed her that Ballybran was only an hour or so away.

"Unidentified pod, you are approaching Ballybran air space. Ballybran is a class four restricted planet. Change your flight path immediately to Shankill Moon base immediately" A voice crackled over the intercom jarring Angie out of her half sleep.

She clumsily messed with the controls for a moment to turn on the mic. "I don't know how!" She exclaimed as she looked at the console. She was a musician, not a pilot! "Everything's on autopilot." She didn't quite know what a class four planet was, but she completely understood what the word restricted meant.

"Identify yourself." The voice replied.

"Angelique Furor McRune," Angie replied quickly, determined to stay out of trouble. "The ship I was on was attacked by pirates and…" She swallowed hard. "The pirates sabotaged the crystal drive."

"Stand by." There was radio silence for several minutes, making Angie even more worried. She really didn't want to get into trouble because of the pods stupid autopilot.

What Angie did not know was that at that moment the current guild master was being hailed and being told of the situation.

"Angelique McRune," the voice of Lars Dahl broke the silence. "Allow the autopilot to land you on the planet. Do not exit the craft. An extraction team will arrive to take you off of the planet." His instructions were simple enough and Angie found herself nodding.

"From there FPS officials will debrief you on Shankill moon base and you will be given a ticket to anywhere you need to go." Angie took a deep breath and then another. Things weren't so bad; she wasn't going to be in trouble.

"Be advised that there is a light storm on the surface and you might get caught in it. Once the storm passes the retrieval team will come for you." And with that the radio went quiet.

A light storm? Why would he be warning Angie about a light storm? The pod was built to withstand most blasts and structural damage. A little rain shouldn't harm it.

At least that was what she thought before entering the planet's atmosphere. If she hadn't been strapped into her seat, the jolting would have thrown her into the ceiling of the escape pod. Her head snapped forward and banged uncomfortably against her viola case and then her head slammed back into the head rest of the seat. She had no idea what was going on outside, but from the way she was being thrown in her seat it felt like someone was playing tennis with the little pod.

If it weren't for the fact that the G's were forcing her down into her seat, crushing the breath from her, Angie probably would have screamed. She wasn't sure if the force of entry was so bad because of the 'light storm' or because of entry itself.

It all ended with the impact. "Malfunction." The pod chirped at her as she moaned. Angie's head really hurt for some reason. "Landing protocol Malfunction. Landing gear failure."

"No kidding." She mumbled before everything went dark. Something warm and wet dripped down her cheek and she wasn't even aware when the storm caught hold of her escape pod and began tossing it around on the landscape that was Ballybran.

When the storm finally ended, the retrieval crews were able to get moving. They had a ship that would lift the pod off of Ballybran and carry it back to Shankill. From there base staff and medical personnel would be able to get the McRune girl out.

"What if there was structural damage to the haul?" Killashandra Ree asked her guild master as they waited on the moon base.

"There shouldn't be. From what her father has told us, the ship she was being transported on was top of the line. That pod should be nearly impenetrable." Lars was sitting in his typical chair, his fingers laced just below his chin.

"Say that there is though, and she breathes a little of the air…" The situation would be good. The girl would be exposed to the symbiot. There would be no way of knowing though, at least for a couple weeks.

"Retrieval team here, we've found the pod." Lars leaned forward and changed the view of the wall screen. He watched as the ship landed. The pod was carefully hooked up to the ship. He held his breath as the ship slowly took off; the pod nestled against the ship.

"No response from within the pod." The Retrieval team reported as they lifted up out of the atmosphere and headed straight for the moon base. "Life is detected."

"Have medical ready on standby." Lars announced through the intercom. "Then have the pod's haul checked for any, and I mean ANY, breach."

"Right away Guild master." Lars sat back in his seat and waited. That was all anyone could do now, just wait.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Same as before.

Crystal Calling

Chapter 2

By Ethril Dragon

There were voices around her; that was the first thing that Angie thought about. Her next thought was about why she felt no pain. She remembered her head hurting badly, before blacking out. Her last thought was about where the frag was her viola. She'd been holding it last she knew, so it couldn't be far. Slowly, with a quiet moan, Angie sat up. Now that she was moving, the pain in her head returned making her reach up to rub her temples. There was a bandage there and she felt the edges of it carefully.

"You're lucky you know." A woman said as she walked into the room that Angie was resting in. There was a monitoring board in her hands. "Turns out the storm ripped the landing gear of your pod to shreds. You could have landed a lot worse."

Angie was silent as she watched the doctor come closer. After spending years learning how to read voices and tones she knew there was something the doctor wasn't telling her.

"I'm surprised you didn't get anything worse than that bump on your head with how much the storm tossed you around." The doctor continued to say as she began doing routine checks.

"Where's my viola?" Angie asked seriously. This was not the time for niceties. That viola was her most prized possession and was several hundred years old.

"The case you were holding is right over there," The woman said as she pointed to a table just a few feet from the bed Angie was resting on. "It's still locked and secure. You'll be happy to know that it survived impact a lot better then you did." There was some humor in the woman's voice which relaxed Angie. As long as her viola was alright she had nothing to be angry about.

"FPS officials will be right in to talk to you. Your father has also left a message recording for you." The doctor informed her as she finished her inspection of the various machines around Angie. "You've been asleep for a couple days now."

"Thank you." Angie said as the doctor turned and left. Whatever it was that the doctor hadn't told her, she would find out soon enough. She sighed softly and lay back on the bed. It wasn't long until a man in a clean looking uniform strode in.

The questions were simple enough, what happened, what details she could remember, did she see any of the attackers, etc. She gave as much detail as she could, right down to the pitch in the voices that she had heard. That was where her training was after all, in sound. When the official asked her how she was able to discern the pitch she told him about his own voice. It was in the key of G flat major with a tendency to fluctuate into the lower register. It wasn't hard for her, there were only so many keys that a voice could be in.

The man hesitated a moment before nodding and leaving her room. Angie had the distinct impression that he had been about to tell her something important before he had left. She sighed and closed her eyes to block out the glare of the lights. With her head hurting so much even a little light was bothering her.

After a few minutes of resting Angie struggled into a sitting position and then requested the recorded message from her father. The screen flickered on and the stern expression of her father filled her view.

"Angelique, it has come to my attention-" the message went on like that for a few minutes, making Angie roll her eyes. Even when her life was threatened he still treated everything like a political meeting. She half listened to her father's words as he rambled on about how grateful he was for the Heptite guild to have rescued her and how she was to thank them respectfully. It wasn't until the end that she noticed something…off about his speech.

"I've been…proud of you Angelique. Very proud. Remember that if nothing else." He coughed and then the strange sad look that had been in his eyes vanished and he said his good byes.

Angie blinked several times and then frowned. Was she…dying? The hit to her head couldn't have been that bad! She had a moment of panic as she worried about all the things she had wanted to do. She'd dreamed about opening a charity music school, she'd wanted to perform with some of the best. What good were her dreams to her if she was just going to die?

Her panic and fear turned to rage the more she thought about dying. It was just a stupid head injury! Why should she die when this was all those stupid pirate's faults?

Tears were in her eyes when her next visitor entered her room. He was tall and looked to be in his third decade. He had a look about him that told Angie that he had authority here.

"Hello Angelique." The man's voice was a rich tenor and Angie couldn't help but blush.

"Angie," she commented softly. "I prefer Angie."

The man smiled. It was a good smile that filled his entire face. "It's nice to meet you Angie. You've been out for a couple days. We were getting worried about you."

Angie frowned, her momentary good mood gone. "Am I dying?" she asked seriously. She wasn't about to beat around the bush with this man or with anyone else anymore.

The man looked at her in surprise and was silent for a minute or two before bursting out laughing. Angie felt a pang of annoyance; she didn't like being laughed at. She was frowning rather deeply when the man finally caught his breath.

"No, no, nothing like that!" He grinned for a moment, but his grin faltered. "Although I suppose you might wish you had." The man sighed and reached up to run a hand through his hair. He pulled up a chair and sat down a few feet away from Angie's bed. "My name is Lars Dahl," he began to tell her. "I'm the Guild Master of the Heptite Guild on Ballybran."

'Well that would explain the authoritativeness.' Angie thought to herself as she stayed silent. She wanted answers, and she'd learned the best way to get answers most of the time was to stay silent.

Lars watched the girl for a moment then sighed again. "After you were picked up by the Retrieval team, your pod was examined. We found a…breach in the hull where the landing gear had been ripped away."

"So?" Angie asked, her patience wearing thin.

"Ballybran is known for its crystals. The people who mine the crystals are called Crystal Singers."  
>"I already know most of that." Angie commented. She didn't know what the miners had been called, but everyone knew where the crystals all originated.<p>

"Do you know what a class four restricted planet is?" Lars asked softly.

Angie slowly shook her head.

"It means that the planet is dangerous to humans biologically. In the air we breathe on Ballybran is what we call a 'symbiot'. That symbiot mutates the people that breathe it in." Lars explained things slowly to Angie. "For the majority of the people who go to Ballybran…they can never leave."

Angie was a little shocked to hear that last part. Never leave? So did that mean she'd been exposed?

"We're not sure if you were exposed or not, so we'll be keeping you under observation for a week to two weeks. If you show no signs of adjustment, you'll be given passage to anywhere in the universe you want to go. If you do…adjust…you will be sent back to Ballybran for full disclosure."

Angie was silent for a long time. What was she supposed to say, to do? She couldn't change what had happened. All she could do was hope she hadn't been exposed. The more she thought about it though, the more likely she had been. Why else would the Guild Master of an important guild be telling her all this?

"Now that you're awake, you'll be escorted to private quarters reserved for guild members and recruits." Lars told her before bowing. "If you need anything, just ask." And with that he left.

Right outside the medical room stood a brown haired woman. She was leaning lazily against the wall with her arms crossed and her eyes closed.

"How'd she take it?" the woman asked without ever opening her eyes.

"I couldn't tell her. It's possible that nothing made it through the crack in the hull." Lars sighed as the woman linked her arm with his.

"We're lucky she has perfect pitch." Killashandra said offhandedly as they walked out of the medical ward and towards Lars' office. Lars said nothing the rest of the walk.

Angie couldn't believe what the guild master had told her. Was she…infected with the symbiot? Soon enough two people arrived and escorted her through the moon base. They explained procedures and the rules as well as where she was allowed to go and what sign meant what; the typical things that anyone with common sense would understand.

They arrived at her new room and Angie politely excused herself. She turned on the privacy light and went over to the bed. With a sigh and a soft whimper she lay down and rested her head against the cool pillow. There was a pounding in her head and it was hard for her to keep her eyes open. Angie slowed her breathing and focused on her heart beat. The pounding of her head lessened as she focused on the sounds around her.

Back at the academy, she'd memorized the routines of the people and things around her so that she had learned the symphony of the academy itself. The night time sounds of the academy had always comforted her after her long and busy days. The sounds of the moon base were different for her. She could hear the air purifiers no matter how softly they purred, she could hear the quiet chirping sounds of the technology in the walls, and she could hear the muffled sounds of the hall just outside the door. Slowly Angie was able to organize the sounds into a song and she was lulled to sleep with the alien sounds around her.

Morning was average for Angie. She got up, changed into a set of clothes that had been provided to her, and left the room she'd been assigned so she could find something to eat.

Angie followed the map provided to her the day before and found herself in the common area where she could get food. She avoided eye contact as she went over to the food dispenser. Angie quickly put in her order and was pleasantly surprised to see that her father had deposited a rather large amount of credits to her account. Usually her father only gave her a monthly allowance to cover supplies for school. The amount given to her this time, she could have used to go to any resort planet in the Federation. She wondered about the amount as she retrieved her food and found herself a secluded booth away from the crowd that was mulling around. Why would her father give her that much?

"Hey there." A male voice said as she took the first bite of her food. Angie looked up in surprise to find a blond man with brown eyes leaning against her table.

Angie swallowed with a little difficulty and smiled in return. It was a fake smile, but the academy had taught her to act just as it had taught her music. "Hello."

The man, taking her hello as an invitation, sat down across from her. "All the other tables are full." The man commented, one hand lightly waving towards the rest of the commons area. Angie glanced around and was disgusted to see that he was right. Maybe she should have taken her food back to her room.

"So…" The man leaned his elbows against the table as he observed Angie. "My name's Reggie." He grinned at Angie, clearly expecting her to reply.

Angie wasn't completely comfortable talking to strangers. For half her life she'd been surrounded by people she knew intimately. Life outside the academy was definitely different. "Angelique." Angie wasn't about to give this stranger her nickname.

"So what brings you here Angelique?" Reggie slurred the 'gel' part of her name making Angelique blush slightly.

"I…don't want to talk about it." Angie told him in response as she took another bite of her food. The fish she'd ordered was delicious and spiced very differently then what she was used too.

"I take it you weren't recruited then." Reggie's words were more of fact then a question. He smiled sympathetically.

"Recruited? For what?" Angie asked slowly. She set her fork down on her plate as she contemplated her options for getting away from the common area with her food.

"For the Heptite Guild. Recruitment has only been going on for…50 years I think, and it's still pretty selective. I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to hear the guild master make a speech to a group of recruits." Reggie said proudly.

Angie frowned and was about to scoot out of her seat when Reggie continued on. "So how old are you? You don't look like you meet the age requirements for the Heptite Guild." Reggie commented as he took a swig from his drink. Angie could smell the alcohol from where she was sitting.

"I'm 17." She said lightly.

"So…you're not here to join the Guild?" Reggie seemed to be a bit upset about that.

"No, sorry." Angie picked up her tray of food and left the common area. She really didn't want to continue that particular discussion.

"Hey, wait up!" Reggie called out as he picked up his own food and chased after her.

Angie wanted to sigh and roll her eyes, but her training had taught her to stay calm and cordial to everyone. You never knew who it was you were actually talking too.

"So if you're not joining the guild, why are you in the guild quarters?" Reggie asked. Angie wondered if he would ever stop asking questions. Did he not know what privacy meant?

"It's where I was assigned." Was all Angie said as she continued walking.

"Well hey, can't argue with that. So a bunch of us are getting together tonight, you want to come?" Reggie asked with a big grin as he walked beside Angie. He'd left his tray of food behind.

"I'm a bit underage." Angie commented softly. To be honest she would have liked too, she missed spending time with other people. Angie had had quite a few friends back at the academy.

"Don't worry about that! No one will say anything." Reggie winked at her.

Angie paused; she really did want to go. Before she could reply though, Reggie made the choice for her.

"I'll come get you at about 6 ok? See you then." And with that he raced off to another room. Angie stared after him, her mouth hanging open. She shook her head softly and then went into her room. What the heck was she going to wear? Angie grinned at that thought. With the large balance of credits that her father had given her, she could afford a little shopping spree. With that thought in mind, she happily scrolled through the available catalog while finishing her food.

When Reggie finally came at 6, Angie had showered and changed into a comfortable, white, off one shoulder shirt and a simple pair of blue jeans. Angie did enjoy old fashion styles.

"You're going to love the party," Reggie said as he took Angie's arm and ushered her out of her room. "Only recruits are going to be there so the food and drink is on the guild!"

Angie smiled and let herself relax. If there was one good thing she could say about Reggie, it was that he was nice.

The party as a whole was nice enough, although she didn't drink any of the alcoholic beverages that were presented. She had a few years before she would legally be able to drink and she was going to follow that law closely. Most of the people were talking about what they hoped to achieve in the guild, which she silently listened to. Angie was surprised to learn that every recruit had perfect pitch, although several of them had zero music training.

Angie excused herself though when the party ran over midnight. Reggie accompanied her out. "So, did you have fun?" Reggie asked, his voice just a tad slurred.

Angie openly smiled and nodded. "It wasn't bad."

Reggie laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Angie had gotten to know Reggie better over the past 6 hours. He'd just turned 27 which had just made him eligible for joining the Heptite Guild. Angie had learned that Reggie had been born and lived on a family owned transport ship that focused on asteroid belts and was hired out to mining operations. She'd also learned that Reggie had no music training. For her, having spent 7 years at an academy for the fine arts, the idea that a person with perfect pitch has never had music training was strange.

"Thanks for inviting me to the party." Angie said as they came to a stop outside her room.

"You looked like you needed it." Reggie smiled warmly and let go of her shoulder.

Angie returned the smile and hesitated. She knew what might come next, although she'd never participated in such activities. She'd always been underage at the academy, and her studies had taken up all her extra time.

"Well good night Reggie." Angie turned and opened the door. She felt his hand on her arm but it fell away when she hurried into her room. As soon as the door shut she switched on the privacy light and slumped against the wall. She'd apologize in the morning.

~o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0~

A/N: So there's chapter 2. I'm sure everyone has guessed what will happen in the next chapter. :: shrugs :: oh well. I'm enjoying writing this. And yes, Reggie will come back in future chapters.

Thanks for the review Mike 3


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own anything that Anne McCaffrey has written. I own my own ideas and my own characters.

Crystal Calling

Chapter 3

By: Ethril Dragon

Angie was slow to wake up the next morning. "Now I know why the academy kept strict lights out rules." Angie said to herself as she rubbed her head. Even though she hadn't had anything to drink, she had a horrible head ache. She sighed and continued to rub her head as she sat up.

"There is a message for you." The computer voice chirped after she had taken care of her morning routine.

"Play the message please." Angie replied as she pulled on her shirt. She'd purchased a couple more outfits from the base store. Everything she'd owned after all had been back on the ship. Angie winced as she thought about her books. The one saving grace was that she'd only packed a few of her books for the trip. The rest of her things were being shipped from the academy on a cargo ship. She'd need to send a message to her father to make sure her belongings arrived alright. Some of her books were worth quite a bit.

"Hey Angelique, its Reggie," the message started off. It was only a voice recording so the screen was black. "Last night was fun, thanks for putting up with me long enough for me to drag you along." Angie smiled at that. As much as she hadn't wanted to be social in the beginning, Angie had ended up really liking Reggie's company. "I'm sorry we couldn't hang out longer, but my class is getting processed today." Angie looked at the screen in surprise. Now she wished it wasn't just an audio recording. "We'll be planet side in a few hours. Maybe we'll meet again one day."

"End message." Angie sat down on her bed and sighed. Well there went her first friend since leaving the academy.

"Playback last message." Angie said softly. She listened to Reggie's words one last time before telling the computer to delete the message. It was useless to simply dwell on what could have been. Angie stood and swept her hair back in a ponytail and left her room. She might as well do some exploring since she had nothing else to do.

Eventually she found herself in what she could only guess was a show room. There were other people milling around, looking into glass cases, so Angie's appearance went unnoticed. Angie was in a half daze as she ventured around the show room, looking into each case at the various crystals. She didn't notice what forms they took or if they were art pieces or examples for industry, she was distracted by the sounds.

There were still a fairly large amount of people milling around, so Angie found a bench and sat down. There was no way for her to describe the sounds that she was hearing. The closest she could come too was that humming she'd listened to in her dreams. The crystals were picking up every tiny sound in the room and were singing the sounds back. There was something else though, something Angie couldn't put her finger on. She tilted her head slightly, turning her stronger ear towards the louder of the crystals. If she focused hard, she could almost discern what sounded like words.

"Excuse me miss, but the gallery is closed." A soft spoken attendant said right next to Angie. Angie jumped and looked up guiltily at the uniformed woman.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize the time!" Angie looked down at her watch and her eyes went wide. "I'll go." Angie hurried out of the room and when she was far enough away, she leaned against the wall. She'd been sitting in the gallery for over 7 hours.

Angie panted hard and held her face in one hand. How the heck had she just spent 7 hours listening to crystal? No one else seemed to have been hypnotized like she had been. Was it because of her music training? Angie really didn't think that was it; so what happened?

Her stomach distracted her from her thoughts long enough to remind her that she hadn't even had breakfast today. With a sigh, Angie headed for the commons to grab some food to take back to her room. She really didn't feel like being around people right now.

"There is a message for you." The computer chimed as Angie closed the door to her room and flipped on the privacy light.

Angie ignored the computer and its message. She was still thinking about what had happened earlier. She thought about the crystals and the music that they were making; she thought about the words she could have sworn she heard. Near the end Angie thought she could make out a couple of those words, but now that she thought about it she couldn't remember what those words were.

"Was that hit to my head worse than it should have been?" She wondered softly.

"There is a message for you." The computer chimed again.

"Delay message. I'm going to bed." Angie mumbled as she finished her light meal and went to the bed. She dropped her clothes as she walked and simply fell onto the bed. She was out within minutes.

_Angie was back in the forest and the humming was a lot louder than last time. She tried to say something, but her voice was gone. Angie grabbed her throat and tried to talk again, but not even a squeak came out; she couldn't even whimper. The humming rose and fell trying to get her attention, but Angie was more concerned with her lack of voice. _

_This was a dream; she knew it was a dream, so why couldn't she make herself talk? _

_The sound of something shattering broke Angie's train of thought and she moved towards the spot where she heard the noise. The trees thinned and Angie stepped through a veil of vines. Angie felt something fall next to her and she heard the shattering sound again. _

_Angie looked down and saw a puddle of what looked like liquid crystal. There was a twinkling above her head and she looked up just in time to see a raindrop. When it hit the ground it didn't splash, it shattered. Angie tilted her head at that and reached out to catch the next one. The drop didn't shatter and she found it interesting that instead of holding water, she held a teardrop shaped crystal. _

_Angie turned the crystal around in her fingers and then dropped it. Just as she suspected, it shattered when it hit the ground. She looked up and took note that the clouds were a variety of colors from pink to green to blue and white. Angie stood there watching the clouds as the crystal rain drops fell and shattered against the ground. _

"There are five messages for you." Angie jolted up, instantly awake. She quickly checked the clock and groaned when she found that she'd been asleep for over 12 hours. The computer chimed a bit more urgently and Angie sighed.

"Play the messages." The first three were audio and visual from her father. Angie only half listened as they played. All she heard from her father's long winded hello was that he hoped she was doing alright and that he wanted to speak with her as soon as she got the chance.

The fourth message was from a medical personal asking her to stop by for a physical. The fifth message caught and held Angie's attention. The message was only a few minutes old, and was probably the reason that the computer had woken her up. Her presence was being requested at the front desk.

With a sigh, Angie got dressed and left. She wondered why anyone would need to see her, let alone request her presence. Her walk from the sleeping chambers back to the front desk was quiet and uneventful, allowing Angie time to think.

So focused on her own thoughts, Angie failed to notice the growing crowd the closer she got.

"I can't believe he's here!" Angie heard someone say as she walked past. She tilted her head their way in curiosity. "Someone of his status doesn't usually come this far out!"

Angie continued on. She wondered who they were talking about, but it was really none of her business. Maybe the visitor was a stellar or something from Earth? Angie shrugged to herself. The chatter was growing the closer she got to the desk. "Why is the president of FSP here anyway?" Those words were the only warning she got when she was grabbed by the arm and hurried forward by a man in a black suit.

President. FSP. Her father was here? Angie was in shock as she looked up at the man that she knew as her father. He looked exactly like she remembered him, since he often sent her pictures or visual messages while she was at the academy. The shock though of seeing him in person left her momentarily speechless.

With a nod of her father's head, the security team led the way to a large empty room. There was an oval table in the center of the room with a dozen or so chairs surrounding it. Angie could easily guess that this was a meeting room.

"It is good to see you again Angelique." Her father's words rang in her ears and the shock finally faded away.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Angie asked hesitantly.

Edmund McRune smiled thinly. Angie winced as she thought about how her dad never seemed to smile naturally; always with his political smile. "I can't come and spend some time with my daughter?"

"That's not what I mean dad. You're the president of the FSP, aren't you busy?"

"Even the president deserves a vacation now and then." Edmund told his daughter seriously.

Angie sighed. She knew her father; he wouldn't be here if he didn't have a reason. "So how long are you going to be here?" She also knew that her father wouldn't be here for long. His work was his life. She knew he loved his family, but his work had always been first.

"A few days; plenty of time for us to spend some time together." Angie could tell that his smile was a little more forced then usual.

As much as Angie wanted to argue with her father, she hadn't seen him physically in years. She'd set aside her questions and doubts for the time being, if it meant enjoying time with her father.

For the rest of the day, she and her father caught up on things. They had lunch and then dinner in his guest quarters, which were slightly larger then her own. Her father was even willing to watch some vids with her, like they used to do when she was really little.

As the night grew longer Angie excused herself to go to bed. Her father was agreeable to that and she left his suite to go to her own. Once there she flipped on the privacy light once more and went over to the bed.

She sat there for some time, thinking over the day's events. Once more she couldn't help but wonder if she were dying. Angie remembered what she'd been told by Lars Dahl, but there were too many inconsistencies. If she really were fine, her father wouldn't have come out this far just to see her.

Angie sighed and ran her hand through her hair before picking up her brush and letting her hair out of the ponytail. While she brushed her hair, she started humming softly. What started out as random notes worked themselves into the melody she'd heard while in the crystal gallery.

She didn't know when it happened, but Angie fell asleep while she'd been brushing her hair.

"There is a message for you." Angie yelped and fell out of her bed when the sudden computerized voice woke her. She groaned and laid there, spread eagle on the floor for a minute. She shifted and tucked her hand under her only to pull it back to find that she'd fallen onto her hairbrush.

"You're worse than my roommate back at the academy." Angie said with a rather deadpan voice as she stared up at her ceiling.

"There is a message for you." The computer repeated unaware that Angie had insulted it.

"Play the stupid message!" Angie said with an exasperated sigh. She sat up as the computer complied and began playing the message.

"Good morning Angelique," Angie tilted her head as she recognized the voice as the medical lady that had spoken to her the day she'd woken up. "I would like to request that you come to the medical ward for a quick check up. Thank you."

Angie rolled her eyes and slowly stood up. She rubbed at her lower back where she'd fallen onto her hair brush. "Evil brush." She cursed at it and threw it onto her bed. It happily bounced off the bed and fell back onto the floor. Angie stared at it for very long minutes, just glaring at it while it sat there innocently unaware of the crimes it had committed against her person.

She huffed and picked it back up and began brushing her hair as she went over to her clothes to get dressed. Angie was ready within minutes and was about to leave when she realized she was hungry. She quickly got some portable food out of her catering unit and left.

The checkup was quick and painless to be honest. The doctor flashed a light in her eyes and used a scanner thing to check to make sure Angie's head wound was healing fine, and then proceeded to ask a few questions.

Most of the questions Angie didn't really care about, one thought caught her attention. The doctor asked her if she'd had any increase in senses recently. Angie tilted her head and frowned at that one. The doctor assured her it was a typical question asked to evaluate any trauma the brain may have suffered. She answered, but on the way back to her suite she mulled over that last question several times.

To be honest Angie hadn't noticed any change in her senses. Other than thinking she'd heard voices in the crystal, nothing strange had happened.

"Excuse me miss?" Angie turned mid thought as one of the personnel approached her. "The president of the FPS would like to see you." Angie nodded and changed her direction to go visit with her father.

Time passed like that for another week. Angie would spend most of her time catching up with her father and visiting the medics every other day. She had to admit, it was nice seeing a different side of her father like this. She asked several times why he was spending to so much time with her, but each time he simply told her he had missed her.

Even with the distractions her father provided, in the back of her mind Angie couldn't help but wonder if she was dying. No one ever brought it up, but it was hard not to wonder.

It had been nearly two weeks since the crash onto Ballybran when something strange happened. Angie was enjoying lunch with her father when she suddenly had a headache. She was laughing one moment and the next she was holding the side of her head in pain. The headache only lasted a few seconds, nothing really serious. Angie forgot about it fairly quickly and assured her father it was nothing.

"Alright Angelique, if you say so." Edmund McRune said with a sigh as he and his daughter finished their lunch.

"Now, let's discuss your plans once we return home." He said as the two of them stood and went out into the passageway.

Angie blinked in surprise. Her father had avoided bringing up future plans for nearly a week, what had changed? "Well, I thought I would start sending out my audition recordings to different music groups and begin working to join the stellars." It wasn't an easy goal, but Angie was positive with her training and skills she'd be able to make it within a decade. Then she could work on starting her nonprofit music school.

"I can pull a few strings and-" her father began saying but was cut off by a rather angry look from Angie.

"Father please, I want to do this on my own. I want to prove to everyone that I was able to become a stellar without your influence." She'd already had enough grief in school because she was the daughter of the present of FSP, she didn't need that much hatred directed at her while she worked on her career.

Her father sighed, but nodded. "You are so very stubborn some days." The man let out a chuckle and shook his head. Angie was in fact his daughter through and through.

Angie laughed and nodded. She was only stubborn when she had to be. Music was her passion, and she would not let anyone get in her way.

Angie stopped mid step and her hand went to her stomach suddenly. A wave of nausea had gone through her, strong enough to make her freeze.

"Angelique?" Angie barely heard her father as the wave of nausea made her head spin. The world blurred around her and she couldn't tell where the floor was compared to the walls or the ceiling. Her knees wobbled and within seconds her father had his arms around her, supporting her as she went limp.

The last thing she heard before her spinning world went dark was her father's voice yelling for help.

Angie was unconscious by the time the medics arrived with the guild master. The medics lifted her up onto a floating stretcher and began moving her to the medical wing of the moon base.

"What is going on?" President McRune demanded of the Heptite guild leader.

"Your daughter is being tested for the symbiot now." Lars Dahl informed the FSP president. "She's showing signs of transition now. Depending on the results, she'll either be released or sent immediately to Ballybran for medical care."

Edmund's eyes narrowed and he reached out to grab hold of Lars' collar. "I'm not letting you take my only daughter just like that."

Lars looked down at the hand grasping his collar and sighed. He reached up and pinched the president's wrist with just two fingers. The other man winced and immediately let go. "You have every right to prevent us from taking your daughter to the only medical facility able to take care of her." Lars' eyes were hard as he stared at the President of FSP. "Just so you know, it will be her life on your hands if you refuse to let us give her full discloser so we can get her down to the planet's surface."

Edmund McRune fell into a tense silence as he stared at the man that held his daughters life in his hands. He looked away after a minute. "Do what you must." He turned then and stormed off. He would wait on his personal ship until he could hear news about his daughter.

Lars let out the breath he'd been holding. He knew the truth of the matter; the truth was they'd known Angie had been infected by the spore on Ballybran. It hadn't been obvious at first, but after the last few tests the numbers didn't lie. They'd just been waiting for her to begin her transition. Now that she was, several FSP officials would be waiting on standby for when she gained consciousness so she could place her print on the necessary forms. All they had needed was her legal guardian's permission for her to join the guild. She was underage after all.

The officials didn't have to wait too long; Angie was able to wake up a few minutes after being taken into the discloser area. "Wh-wha…" Angie was confused; her eyes were blurred as she looked at the faces around her. The lights swirled around her and she could tell they were moving rapidly.

"Angelique McRune, you are currently going through disclosure to become a member of the Heptite Guild." Angie looked at the closest face where the voice was coming from. "You were exposed to a spore when you crashed on Ballybran. The only medical facility able to help you is on the surface of Ballybran."

Angie squinted in confusion. What did all this mean? So what if she'd been exposed, why did she have to go to Ballybran? Why were they being so serious about this?

The person talking cleared his throat. "In order to take you to Ballybran, you must be a member of the guild." He held out a tablet for her to look at, not that it was any use really since her eyes were so blurred. He began talking quickly then, detailing things that Angie couldn't follow at the moment. His words started slurring together in her mind and it was hard for her to focus. She could feel herself losing consciousness again.

As if sensing that she was falling asleep again, the man held out the tablet for her. "If you agree to become a member of the Heptite Guild and go to Ballybran, place your print here." Angie looked at the tablet and then at the man. "If you refuse, the chances of your recovery are nearly impossible."

If she were to die, Angie would never be able to start her nonprofit music school. Any chances of her making a difference in young musician's lives would be gone. By joining the guild she would at least be alive. Her hand shook as she lifted it up to press against the tablet.

After that she closed her eyes and fell asleep again. She felt light headed enough that if she had kept her eyes open any longer, Angie would have thrown up.

"Everything's done. Get her to the surface." The FSP official said with sadness. The medics nodded and hurried the stretcher forward to the waiting shuttle. The official shook his head and turned, wearily heading for the presidents ship to inform him of the events that had taken place. The man's 17 year old daughter was now in the hands of the Heptite Guild and may never be able to leave the planet's surface ever again.

~o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0~

A/N: I know it took me awhile to write this chapter, but I tell you it was hard. Very hard.


End file.
